


Right Place, Wrong Time

by N_Pluto



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Five actually looks 58, Gen, Humor, Minor Character Death, On the Run, Roadtrip, The other six are 13
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2019-11-18 05:22:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18114134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N_Pluto/pseuds/N_Pluto
Summary: “Shit.” He picked up the newspaper that had been discarded in the trash. Shit, shit, shit, shit! The date on the top read March 24, 2003. He’d missed his mark by 16 years. How did he miss it by 16 years?Or how Five ends up on the run with six thirteen-year-olds and they try to become a functional family.





	1. Chapter One

“Shit.” He picked up the newspaper that had been discarded in the trash. Shit, shit, shit, shit! The date on the top read March 24, 2003. He screwed up the equations, just like Delores said he would, she was always right. He’d missed his mark by 16 years. How did he miss it by 16 years? But he couldn’t risk jumping again now, not with the Commission inevitably following him, it’d be too easy to track him. He wasn’t even sure if he could jump again; it had taken him forty-five years to even manage this, and if his equations were off, how long would it take for him to fix them?

He placed the paper back in the trash bin and rounded the corner, just across the street was his old home: the Umbrella Academy, still standing in all its renowned. The public too caught up in the idea of superheroes to focus on what they had all went through, what they were all going through. He had finally made it back, after all this time, he finally made it back home; it was just the wrong time.

He could hear children’s voices coming from inside the huge mansion, even from where he was on the street opposite it. Fighting, no doubt. Over every other sound, however, the distinct voice of one Reginald Hargreeves overpowered it all. “Number Three, I will not have you using your powers like that.” He could barely make it out, but the condescending, ruthless tone was unmistakably their father’s.

Nothing’s changed. Not his family, not the fate of the world, and not his intention to stop the apocalypse. He wasn’t going to let this...inconvenience ruin everything. No. Now, he just needed to come up with a new plan. The Commission valued him for his quick thinking; he could easily come up with something. The fate of the world depended on it.

And no matter how much he longed to, he couldn’t just walk back inside. He needed to come up with a plan first. In the meantime, he needed a place to stay until he could do whatever he planned to do. If memory served, there was a motel not too far from where he was now. He checked his pockets to see if he had any money to pay for a room. There was enough to last him two or three nights he figured, depending on how he budgeted it. 

This was too much to deal with uncaffeinated. He pinched the bridge of his nose, he would kill for a decent cup of coffee right now though, and he knew from experience that the complimentary coffee given in motels was not what he was looking for. He took another look at the house and sighed; he definitely needed some coffee.

The donut shop he and his siblings would sneak out to was close, and the food there was decent and cheap enough that it wouldn’t make much of a dent in his limited funds. 

* * *

There were no other patrons in the restaurant when he entered, and only one waitress seemed to be working. He walked up to the counter and sat on one of the barstools. The place looked exactly as he remembered it, though, at this point in time, he would’ve only been gone less than a year, so that was to be expected.

“What can I get you, sir?” The waitress, Agnes, according to her nametag, smiled and took out her notepad, pen ready in her other hand.

“Coffee. Black.” He handed her the two dollars it would cost. She took the money, not bothering to write down the order and poured him a mug before she retreated to the back of the restaurant. Finally some peace and quiet, he thought, it’d been too long. His colleagues at the Commission constantly tried to make small talk or engage him in conversation. He always shut them down, but they were incredibly persistent and incredibly annoying, so he relished the silence that he was now offered.

As he lifted the mug to take the last few sips of his coffee, he noticed a reflection in the bell. The Commission had tracked him back to here, of course, they did.

“That was fast. Thought I’d have more time before you found me.” He said calmly, not facing them instead he watched their reflections.

“Okay, let’s all be professional now. On your feet and come with us. Then we’ll talk.” The man who stood closest to him had a gun cocked and aimed.

“I’ve got nothing to say.” He eyed the silverware set that was next to him.

“It doesn’t have to go this way. You think I want to shoot you? Go home with that on my conscience?” As if he would think twice about shooting him. It was part of the job, not some great moral dilemma he was being faced with. 

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about that.” He finally looked at the man and smirked. “You won’t be going home.” He reached for the knife. It was dull and blunt, but it’d do. He jumped behind the first man and stabbed him in the neck. Bullets began flying everywhere in a frenzied panic. 

As the first one fell, the others began looking for where their target had gone.

“Hey, assholes!” He was now over on top of one of the booths. But when they began shooting at him, he was gone in a flash. It would be a lie to say he didn’t miss this just a little.

He appeared again, this time outside the shop, standing in front of the door. Once he caught one of their eyes, he gave a small, mocking salute, then jumped again before he was shot at.

All of the Commission’s goons looked around for where he would appear next, guns ready for when they spotted him. Now he was inside again, appearing next to the man he had just waved at. Snapping a mop in half, he took the handle and stabbed him in the side. Then he was behind one of the others. He was just going to strangle him with his tie, but the fourth man turned around and smacked him with the gun, conveniently helping him break the others man’s neck. Five grabbed a nearby pencil and stabbed him in the eye. 

Another man was approaching him from behind, so he threw a plate at his head. But he recovered quickly and the man he had stabbed with the mop handle was getting up. He jumped before either shot him, and they ended up shooting each other, doing Five’s job for him.

At least his clothes were all black, he mused as he retrieved his tie from one of the corpses. He’d had enough here. 

* * *

The Luna Motor Lodge Motel was a bit of a walk away, but it was the closest one to the academy, and thus it was the best one. The place itself could hardly qualify as nice, but right now convenience mattered more than comfort.

“How much for a room?” He looked a little more than disheveled, but the man at the desk could hardly seem to care.

“Forty dollars a night.” This was the voice of someone who had stopped caring about what he may see here, a blood-covered old man was nothing new. Five nodded.

“I’ll be staying for two nights.” He shuffled through his pockets for eighty dollars, cursing his now lack of money.

In exchange for the cash, he was handed a key. The room was on the second level of the motel and looked directly into the middle of the parking lot. Inside the room was not much better, or worse, at least, than the outward appearance of the building. It had a single bed and nightstand, a desk and chair, and a bathroom. He didn’t need much and it didn’t have much, so it worked out. 

But just as he shrugged off his suit, he saw a taxi pull into the lot. Out from the van came two similarly dressed strangers. No, not strangers he realized after looking closer. Hazel and Cha-Cha. 

“Shit.” They were two of the Commission’s best, after himself, of course. They were ruthless and dangerous. Luckily, he was even more so. 

He watched them through his window, careful not to be seen. They were walking out of the lobby carrying a large box and keys. This is where the Commission booked for them to stay. Go figure, they were too cheap to choose anything nicer than this dump. 

They didn’t know he was staying here though. No, if the Commission knew anything about him, the first place they would look for him would be—

“The Academy.” He grabbed his suit coat and jumped to behind the building where he wouldn’t be seen by his two former-coworkers. Once he spotted another taxi passing by, he jumped in it. 

“Just keep driving.” He told the driver who almost swerved off the road in shock. 

He got out once he passed near the police station: he needed a gun since he left his last one in 1963. 

Getting in and out of the station would be easy, not getting caught was a different story. He decided the best way to discreetly do this was to just walk in. 

It was almost too easy. Once he got inside, he proceeded to get an officer’s attention. And once he had it, he was able to easily distract her and take her gun. Gone quicker than he came.

Now that that was settled, he proceeded on to home. It was a longer walk than he would’ve liked, but he couldn’t risk anyone seeing. Especially not Hazel or Cha-Cha. 

He sat and waited across the street in one of the other buildings. It was a deli. Though not a good one. They had snuck out here once, but Klaus ended up getting sick after eating one of the sandwiches. In a few years, it would be closed and replaced with a bookstore.

Hazel and Cha-Cha didn’t arrive until late, hidden in the dark cover of night and brightly colored masks. Their briefcase wasn’t in sight, instead, they each held a gun. They weren’t going to go down without a fight. 

They didn’t even have to force the door, it was unlocked. Why was it unlocked, he wondered? Then he remembered reading in Vanya’s book how she had left it open and the lights on for him. If she were any of the others, he would’ve yelled at her for being foolish and endangering everyone else, but he knew that he was to blame for this.

He saw lights turn on all throughout the house. They all knew there was an intruder. 

He checked the gun one last time then jumped across the street to the front door. There was a thud then a shattering sound. He slipped in unnoticed amongst the chaos. 

“Get your hands off of her!” That was Luther. 

“Shut up, kid. Just tell us where he is.” Cha-Cha was holding Allison by the collar, the gun now pointing at Luther. 

“We don’t know who you’re l-l-looking for!” Diego tried his best to sound brave, but he was obviously scared. Despite how well-known it was that the famous Umbrella Academy lived here, no one had broken in before; it wasn’t even hard to do, as he had just witnessed.

“Hazel, Cha-Cha. Let them be.” Five walked up behind them, the gun in his hand, ready. They wanted him, and he wanted his family safe. It would be an easy trade for them. 

Hazel turned around and shot at him, but he moved out of the way and shot at him in response. He couldn’t jump like he normally would because that would mean his siblings would recognize him, and he couldn’t let them know. Not yet. 

Hazel’s shot grazed his shoulder, but Five’s shot in him the leg causing him to tumble over. Cha-Cha took her turn and fired a few shots at him, but he managed not to get hit by any of them; at least, not badly. One of them nearly hit his abdomen.

Then he saw him. The old man, Reginald Hargreeves. Standing there at the top of the stairs, completely unconcerned with everything that was happening. Instead just content to watch his Umbrella Academy deal with the situation.

The only way to stop the apocalypse was to get his siblings away from here. That’s what he was working with so far. And the only way to get them out was to kill their father. He just couldn’t let the others see him do it, not if he wanted them to trust him. 

It had to look like Cha-Cha or Hazel did it. He would position himself as their savior then run away with them.

More shots brought him back to the present. He needed to get himself lined up with them so he could take aim at Hargreeves. 

This would have been easier if he could use his powers, but he restrained himself. Hargreeves moved down the stairs, with not even an ounce of worry or fear on his face. Just disappointment that his academy appeared to be failing since some apparent stranger had to step in to help them. 

He felt furious. He walked over to his two opponents, gun pointed at Cha-Cha’s head, she was the more brutal of the two; he needed to dispose of her first. She had a malicious grin that didn’t leave her face even when a bullet made its way right between her eyes. 

Hazel charged at him, but he ducked. Physically, he was no match for Hazel, but he had greater speed and agility. He spun around him, making it so it would be difficult to tell who would fire the shot that came next. 

Five lifted his gun but planted it firmly on Hazel’s temple. And at the same time, he grabbed Hazel’s gun and aimed it at his father. It was more than the bastard deserved.

Both went off at the same time. Both men were dead. Both by his hand, not that it was known by his siblings.

Time slowed as he watched his siblings all turn to see their father fall down the rest of the stairs. 

“Dad!” Luther shouted. He ran over to him, checking for a pulse. Tears streamed down his face, “he’s...dead.” 

Diego bit his lip and his eyes watered. Allison was frozen, realization slowly washing over her face. Klaus went pale as a ghost, Ben was clutching his arm, lip trembling. And Vanya, Vanya stood at the top of the stairs with her eyes closed and her hands clasped over her ears. Terrified. 

Five watched as they all processed what had just happened. Luther stood up and asserted himself as the leader despite his own fear and sorrow, and began questioning Five:

“Who are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you liked it, please leave a kudo or comment!
> 
> You can come talk to me on Tumblr at nevermore-plutonianshore!


	2. Chapter Two

“Who are you?” Luther tried to seem strong, but his voice trembled. He was trying to be a leader, he was always trying to be a leader, even when he shouldn’t have to be. 

He watched as they all slowly gravitated toward one another, seeking comfort, shaken by what had just happened. All of them in shock. All of them needing each other. 

“Who are you?” Luther demanded again after he didn’t reply. 

“I’m here to help.” Help them, help the world, help himself. To others, of course, it hadn’t seemed like he had helped much at all, since their father lay dead on the floor. 

“You d-didn’t answer our question.” Diego pointed out, his stutter betraying the brave face he was putting on.

“What’s your name?” Luther again. He...hadn’t thought about that one. What would they call him? Certainly not Five, but what? 

He changed the subject. “There’s no time, come with me.” The Commission would send more people soon enough. He made a move to leave, but everyone stayed put. Nothing was ever easy with this family.

“No. We don’t know you. You just came in, killed two people, and won’t tell us who you are. We can’t trust you.” It was the truth, they had no reason to trust him, despite the fact that he had just saved their lives.

“Those people who attacked you, they’re after me and they’re after you. They are going to come back and the next time, they will send more. We need to leave.” It was partially the truth; enough of it that should the real truth ever come out, it would be less of a blow.

“Why are they after you, and what do they want from us?” Allison pushed forward and stood next to Luther. 

“They’re called the Commission, I used to work for them. I broke my contract and now they want me dead. They want you because you’re a potential threat.” It was a heavily abridged version with lies woven into it, but it would do. He just needed to make them trust him.

“How do we know that you’re not still working for them?” There was no denying that they were trained to deal with such situations, trained not to trust anybody. Other than Hargreeves himself, of course.

“You’ll just have to believe me then.” He had no way to show them that they could trust him. No way that wouldn’t reveal his true identity, at least, he grew conscious of the shared tattoo that was on (almost) all of their arms.

“Then tell us who you are.” It was the same voice Luther used when he was questioning criminals. Right now, Five was no better than a criminal to them. How was he any better than a criminal at all?

The only name he had, the only name he had ever needed or wanted, was Five. He hadn’t even listened to what Mom’s name for him was before he refused it. They were all looking at him, waiting impatiently. “Cinq.” Not the best name, he just hoped they wouldn’t catch on too quickly.

“Sink?” Klaus finally spoke up, mispronouncing the name. “Like a kitchen sink?”

He brushed him off, “do you trust me now?” They had to leave, it was only a matter of time before the Commission figured out Hazel and Cha-Cha were dead and went after him.

“No. And what about our Mom, and Pogo? We’re heroes, we don’t run away from our problems.” Five smiled bitterly at Luther’s words. There was no doubt what that last line meant. On a linear timeline, he’d only have been gone a few months and Luther had already begun using his disappearance as a way to maintain order. No, Luther wasn’t using it that way; the old man did. Hargreeves poisoned him. 

“You don’t know the Commission, bringing them along would be a liability, leaving you here would get you all killed.” Now that there was an established connection between the Umbrella Academy and himself, leaving them here was too great a risk.

“I’m not going without Mom.” Diego didn’t stutter this time, now he spoke with complete confidence in his words. To make Mom proud.

“You’ll have to if you want to keep her safe.” Diego considered this, but didn’t look too impressed with the answer. 

They all looked at one another, and asked if they should trust him. They didn’t want to leave, but they all loathed the idea of staying—save for, perhaps, Luther and maybe Diego, who didn’t want to leave Mom. Could they trust this strange old man? What if he was lying? Where would he take them? Between all of the questions, they didn’t notice that Vanya had instead walked forward to the very man they were debating about.

“I can’t leave, one of our brothers went missing last year and when he comes back he’ll wonder where we went. Besides, I’m not special, nobody would care if I stayed here. It’d be better that way.” She truly felt that nobody cared about her, and Five figured that it was, unfortunately, partially true. 

He knelt down so he could look her in eye, “you are just as special as they are. You can leave a letter to explain to your brother why you all left, then he can find you. Okay?” Those were the kindest words he had said to anyone (except Delores) in nearly fifty years, she deserved them. He longed to pull her close and tell her that he was back, but he knew he couldn’t, for their safety. Vanya nodded slowly, still unsure, but she wandered off to go search for a pen and paper so she could quickly compose her letter.

The six kids stood around in a circle, debating whether or not to leave. From what Five could hear, Luther was intent on staying whereas Klaus was advocating that they leave. Diego worried about Mom. Allison seemed caught in the middle. Ben sided with Klaus. And Vanya, he knew would come with. The majority wanted to leave with him.

“I’m the leader, what I say goes.” That seemed to be the only argument Luther ever used.

“Dad’s dead, Luther. Sink seems nice enough, he saved us after all.” Klaus stood up for him. 

“And what if he’s with the Commission still, what if he tries to kill us?” Luther hissed.

“He’s old, we can take him. We’ve beat guys twice his size.” 

“Luther, come on, we should go.” Allison’s control over Luther could be a power on its own because he seemed to relent after that. In fact, he’s not entirely sure he didn’t hear her say her signature phrase beforehand.

Five walked over to them, pretending he didn’t eavesdrop into their debate. “Time’s running out, come with me or stay.” Vanya was the first of them to step forward to his side. She was followed by Klaus and Ben, Diego hesitantly stepped forward, Allison held her hand out to Luther and once he took it they joined him and the others.

He hadn’t planned on how they would get to wherever they were going to go. He couldn’t expose himself using his powers, and he didn’t have any money to pay for a taxi (let alone a taxi for seven.) But the motel had several cars that could potentially fit them all; he just needed to steal one, which would be easy enough. He also needed to find a first aid kit since he got shot during the fight. It wasn’t bad enough to be a problem, but it was a nuisance. 

“Follow me,” he made his way back to the motel, six kids trailing behind him (five of whom were public figures), he could only hope the darkness would provide enough cover. 

* * *

“Where are we going?” Ben broke his silence.

Cinq continued walking, “I have to get a few things.” That didn’t help them at all.

The six all glanced at each other cautiously, but they continued following the strange man. What else could they do?

While Luther and Allison walked up front, eyeing Cinq and talking, and Diego trailed after them. Ben, Klaus, and Vanya stayed at the back, despite being the ones to push for them leaving.

“Vanya,” Ben slowed down a little so he could walk next to her, “are you okay?” She looked down at her feet while she walked, not allowing her face to be seen, but Ben could tell that something was wrong.

“What’s going to happen when Five comes back? We’ll all be gone.” Ben frowned at that, he hadn’t thought about Five between everything else that had been going on. 

“Hey, Klaus,” he tapped his brother’s shoulder to get his attention, “come here.” 

Klaus turned around to face them, walking backwards, “what is it, Bentacles?” He seemed cheerful enough given everything that had just happened. 

“Vanya wonders what’s going to happen to Five now that we left.” Four, Five, Six, and Seven; they were close and got along better together as a group than they did with the others. It was no secret that they all missed Five. 

“Five’ll be fine. He’s smart.” Klaus offered meekly, his smile faltering. He didn’t want to think about what might happen to Five. “Besides, Mom and Pogo are there.” That didn’t help.

“See, Vanya, he’ll be fine.” Ben grabbed Vanya’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, even though he didn’t really believe it either. 

They rounded the corner and walked for about another mile guided only by the faint glow of streetlights and a man who claimed to be there to “save them.” It was a lot to take in. Two crazy people broke into their house, attacked them, then some old guy came in, beat them up, then Dad died, and now they were all on the run. Just another manic Monday at the Hargreeves house.

Once they reached the motel, Cinq led them up to what was apparently his room there. “Stay here, I’ll be back.” He went to return the key. They had never stayed at a place like this before, but shouldn’t they have vacated the room first?

“This isn’t sketchy.” Luther pointed out once Cinq left. He was still trying to prove that they should’ve stayed at home.

“C’mon Luther, it isn’t that bad. I mean sure, I think somebody died here, but other than that it seems like a nice place.” Klaus threw himself onto the single bed. 

“What if this is a trick, what if he’s down there talking to his buddies at the Commission or whatever he called it? Why else would he leave us here if he’s going to return the key?” It was a valid point. “We need to make a plan: when he comes back with his friends we’ll attack them, then run back home. I’ll take down Cinq, Diego you handle the guys who come with him, Allison, I’ll need you to rumor him into telling us what he knows and how we can get away. Klaus, you be the lookout. Ben, you stay with Diego. And Vanya, go hide in the bathroom, otherwise, you’ll get hurt.”

Everyone nodded, save for Vanya who reluctantly walked to the bathroom to sit and wait, and Klaus who hesitantly went outside to serve as a lookout.

It was a few more minutes until anything happened, but soon enough there was a heavy knocking at the door. Luther motioned for everyone to be prepared, and he opened the door slowly. Once he saw Cinq, he lunged forward, twisted his arm, and pulled him to the ground. Diego and Ben both stood at the ready for the next guys to file in.

“Guys! Stop!” Vanya shouted, standing at the back of the room, having left the bathroom. Everyone turned to look at her then looked back at the front door. Klaus was standing there, mouth hanging open, the words “everything’s fine, it’s just Sink” never made it off his tongue. Cinq was on the ground with Luther standing over him.

“Are you done now?” Cinq pulled his arm out of Luther’s iron-grip.


	3. Chapter Three

“Are you done now?” Five pulled his arm from Luther’s iron-grip and stood back up. No one else moved, they were all trying to take in everything that had just happened. Luther, in particular, looked incredibly uncomfortable with the whole situation, his face turning red in shame and embarrassment. 

“I just...thought you were going to betray us.” Luther sputtered out, looking down at his feet. Five suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. At least he had enough common sense to feel bad about it. 

The attack hurt less than he would’ve expected, however, given Luther’s super-strength, but it still hurt his shoulder from being jerked back like that. When he pulled his hand away after he rolled it to try and ease the discomfort, he discovered it covered in blood. It took him a moment to remember when that had happened: when Hazel had shot at him back at the house. There was more blood than he had expected, but he didn’t have time to deal with it, not right now.

He wiped the blood off on his suit since he would need to replace it anyway. Speaking of replacing his suit, he would need to get them all new clothes. They couldn’t go out in their pajamas. Just what he needed: another thing to deal with. And it was something he needed to deal with sooner rather than later.

Five turned his attention back to the six. “I know you’re having a hard time understanding it, but I’m here to help, and I can’t do that if you don’t trust me. So we’ll need to come to an understanding here soon.” There were harsher words he would’ve used in a normal setting, but this was not a normal setting. 

They all turned to look at Luther, who, in turn, looked at Five. But it wasn’t a standoff as it had been every other time Luther faced him. Now, he was searching for answers or maybe trying to see if there was a hint of a lie hidden somewhere on his face. But he wouldn’t be able to find any even if he wanted, and he didn’t. 

Luther held his gaze for a little bit longer before he stepped down. “Fine. What do you have planned?” It was a start.

“First, to get new clothes.”

* * *

They had never really left the Academy other than to go on missions. First, it was abandoning their home altogether, then it was the stop at the motel, and now it was this department store. Which was closed. Because it was the middle of the night. And they were breaking in. 

From heroes to intruders and petty thieves in only a handful of hours. How the mighty have fallen, Luther lamented. 

He pulled at his pajama shirt so he could look at the crest. Ut Malum Pluvia: When Evil Rains. He wondered how much it would have to rain to destroy an umbrella because right now it was pouring and he didn’t know when it would stop.

His siblings were all scattered about, quietly looking through clothing racks to try and find a new outfit. And he couldn’t tell where Cinq went, it left him feeling wary. He didn’t know how exactly Cinq had broken them in since he had told them to stay in the car, which was suspicious enough. But now he was also just nowhere to be seen? It put him on edge, despite whatever Cinq was trying to tell them about how he was there to help.

Eventually, Allison wandered over to where he was standing, sporting a new pair of jeans and a purple shirt. She looked great. Luther stood there frozen for a little too long.

“Have you chosen some new clothes yet?” 

Luther looked around at all the clothes that surrounded him, “Not yet.” Allison walked past him and started pushing aside some shirts.

“How about this?” She held up a blue and white striped shirt. “Or this?” In her other hand was the same one but with a dark green.

He took the blue one, “This one’s nice, thank you.” He smiled at her. The idea of stealing it, however, unsettled him, but before he could voice this to Allison, she had run off to look at possible pant choices for him.

“Come here,” she had two pairs of identical white shorts in either hand and held them out in front of him as if trying to see what they would look like on him. After another quick look between the two, she put one of the pairs in his arms. “One last thing.” She walked back to where they had been standing a moment ago and grabbed a black jacket. “Perfect!” She pushed him toward the dressing rooms where he could hear Klaus and Diego.

“Okay, but do the black shoes or the clear ones look better?” Klaus had one on either foot, standing in front of the mirror, modeling.

Diego stood behind him, already dressed in his new black pants and grey shirt, “The clear ones.”

Luther didn’t get how they all fell into their styles so easily; he had his uniform and not much else. But he looked at the pile of clothes he held in his arms and thought Allison had done a good job choosing them out.

He passed Ben in the dressing room who now proudly wore a black hoodie with the words “Free Hugs!” written on the front. It was easy to forget how unique everyone was when they had to dress the same otherwise. He locked the door to one of the dressing rooms behind him and tried on his new outfit. It wasn’t bad. It was actually really nice. 

Luther walked out to join his other siblings who were all admiring each other’s outfits. Cinq was still mysteriously missing, however. He also didn’t notice that Vanya was too until Allison heralded her arrival. 

None of them looked like they were dressed for the same event, and, honestly, Luther felt a bit thrilled at that, but he quickly pushed the feeling down, knowing how Dad would react.

Dad was dead, he reminded himself. But that wasn’t an excuse to forget everything he had taught them.

“Hey, let’s go,” Cinq called out from behind where they were standing, but when Luther turned around all he could do was blink. He was dressed in a different suit now and clutching...a mannequin.

If he had suspicions that the man was crazy before, he had stone hard proof now. But no one else seemed to be saying anything. Maybe they were just as shocked? 

Vanya walked toward him first; it was weird watching her lead something, so he took a step forward as well as if to say that he was the leader, it was subconscious in a way. But soon everyone walked back out to the small car they had driven over here in.

It really was a small car though. Everyone was squished against one another, and with that new mannequin, who apparently had rights to the passenger seat over anyone else, they barely had any space at all.

“Move your leg!”

“You’re stepping on my foot!” 

“Can you not breathe on me like that?” 

“Where are we going? And when will we get there?”

Luther didn’t even have to see Cinq’s face to know that he was annoyed already. And, honestly, Luther could understand. That didn’t mean he pitied him or did anything to help, however.

* * *

Vanya didn’t remember when she fell asleep, or how she even could. This was the most time she had spent with her siblings and not have been pushed away in a long time. Probably since before they even had names. She looked around from where she was sandwiched between Klaus and Diego to see if anyone else was awake. But it seemed everyone was sound asleep, except for Cinq who sat in the front seat talking to the mannequin.

“Well, what was I supposed to do?” He paused as if listening to what the mannequin was saying, “Oh because that would’ve gone down so much better.” Vanya wondered if she should eavesdrop like this because it seemed more like a private...conversation?

She shifted slightly so she could try to fall back asleep, but in doing so she alerted Cinq that she was awake.

“Vanya,” she doesn’t remember ever telling him her name, but maybe he just heard one of the others say it, “how long have you been up?” He sounded a bit paranoid, but she didn’t know why.

“A minute.” He paused then nodded.

“Good.” He looked at the time on the radio, “it’s 5:58, I suppose that’s a good enough time to go find some breakfast, don’t you think?” No one ever asked for her opinion on such matters and she was about to just leave the decision to him or one of the others when they woke up, but her stomach started to growl.

“I’ll take that as a yes. I believe I saw a sign for a diner not too far back. Wake up the others, and we’ll go eat.” Vanya nodded uncertainly, then reached over Klaus to nudge Ben.

“Wake up.” She whispered so she wouldn’t wake the others, despite being told to. They would all get mad at her if she woke them, but they probably wouldn’t get as mad with Ben. 

Ben’s eyes fluttered open and he yawned, “Vanya? What is it?”

“We need to wake up everyone. We’re getting breakfast,” she explained. 

Ben punched Klaus in the shoulder to wake him up, “Dude, what was that for?”

“We’re getting breakfast; wake up Diego,” Ben then turned to shake Luther awake.

“Diego, Diego,” Klaus whispered in Diego’s ear before he was promptly met with a knife to his throat.

“I told you to never do that again,” Klaus shrugged and proceeded to wake Allison.

“Hey, Alley-cat, time to wake up.” She stretched out her arms, hitting Klaus and Vanya in the face. 

“Sorry.” Sleeping in a cramped car was not the most comfortable thing.

The drive to the diner was another five minutes which was spent in relative silence. Relative meaning Klaus asked if they were there yet, and Diego hit the back of his head to keep him quiet.

Other than the few times all of them had snuck out to Griddy’s, they’d never really gone to a diner, and Vanya was excited to try whatever breakfast food they had. Or any food, she was really hungry.

It looked pretty much exactly like what Griddy’s looked like, except that it was bigger and didn’t have a donut display case. There was another family too that was sitting in a booth in the back.

Cinq led them to a big table in front of the counter and sat down to look at the menu. The others followed suit, sitting down in the same spots that they would’ve sat at during dinner, except for her. She sat in what would’ve been Five’s seat.

Not even a minute after they picked up their menus, a waitress came up and asked them what they wanted to drink.

“Coffee. Black,” Cinq started the order. Everyone else just got either milk or orange juice, since that was what they had with breakfast normally. She wondered what their new normal would be, now that they weren’t going back home again.

Once the lady brought out their drinks, she pulled out her notepad and started taking their orders.

“Could I have the pancakes?” Luther started, he seemed a lot calmer than he did earlier. That was good.

“Me too.”

“And me!”

“I would like the pancakes too, please.”

“May I also have the pancakes?”

“Pancakes too, please. Thank you,” Vanya added on to everyone else. They only really got pancakes on special occasions or when Dad was away on business. Otherwise, he made them eat something “healthy.”

“Pancakes all around,” Cinq handed the waitress his menu and everyone else passed theirs forward.

“I’ll get right on it! Is this for something special? Someone’s birthday?” The waitress-lady smiled and asked them. 

Cinq grinned, “No, we’re just out and about.” Something about the way he smiled seemed both familiar and off. It was weird.

The pancakes were good and Vanya all but devoured them. Was she really that hungry? After she ate, she reached in her pocket to grab her medicine, but she came back empty-handed. Where was her medicine? Did she not bring it?

“Uhh,” this was bad, “Mr. Cinq, I don’t have my medication. I’m supposed to take it every day. It’s supposed to help with my anxiety and I really need it. But I can’t find it, I think I left it at home.” Her face was bright red. How could she have forgotten it? 

Ben and Klaus exchanged looks, “Hey, Van, it’s okay,” Klaus said. But it wasn’t okay. She had taken that medicine every day since she was four, she didn’t even know what would happen if she didn’t take it.

Cinq was about to say something, but he was cut off before he could.

“There you are. We’ve been looking for you.”


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I ended up rewriting this chapter at least seven times, but here's something!

“There you are. We’ve been looking for you.” The voice sent chills down his spine. He knew that voice. This was bad, this was very bad. He had been hoping that he’d have more time, but when had he’d ever been lucky? The Handler walked in; veil not at all hiding her wicked grin. Five stood up and moved away from the table.

She walked towards him, her movements feline and dangerous, her heels sounding against the tile floor. He reached for his gun on reflex, “What do you want?” 

“I’m not here to hurt you, I just want to talk.” her words echoed the man at the donut shop. She raised her hand in a gesture to calm him but otherwise remained still. 

“Get away from him!” Luther and Diego both stood in front of the table, ushering the others behind them, ready to fight.

“So this is where you went off to?” She placed a hand on his shoulder, brushing off imaginary dust, “I must say, it was unexpected. Not at all where we thought you would go. But did you honestly expect that you could kill two of our best and get away with it?” With her this close, he could clearly see her eyes through the veil: vicious and amused. 

“If they went down that easily, they obviously weren’t good enough.”

“Not everyone can be as good as you, unfortunately. You are our best, after all, Number-” 

He cut her off before she could finish that, “Just because I was your number one, doesn’t mean I ever believed in your goal; you were all just a means to an end.” 

She ignored him, instead turning to face the kids, “So this is them? The Umbrella Academy? The ones you’re willing to risk everything for?” He didn’t bother asking her how she knew he would go after them, even though he was careful to never reveal much about his past. This was a threat: she was dealing him the cards in a game he had no interest in playing, but every intention of winning.

“Stay back,” Luther commanded. Diego stood next to him, gripping his knife in his hand and pointing it at the Handler. She laughed.

“They’re charming, but is this really what you want? To look after some children? You’re meant for much greater things.” Her words dripped from her lips like poisoned honey. “I can give you everything you’d ever want. Just forget about whatever this is, and come back with me.” 

He felt rage boil over inside of him, “You don’t know what I want; you don’t know me.”

She cupped her hand on his cheek and whispered in his ear, “I know you better than you know yourself.” Lies. She knew nothing about him.

Her face was so close to his, he could feel her breath against his skin, the minty scent made him feel nauseous. He could see her eyes flicker between him and the kids again. “They don’t know, do they?” He tensed. And with that smile she wore, she was a shark. 

Time stopped, literally. Her hand trailed down from his cheek to his chest and she pushed herself away.

“Is that better? I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” she didn’t wait for a reply, nor was he going to give one, “I’m here to give you an offer.”

 

“The answer is no.” Any offer she was going to give him would result in the end of the world; the answer would always be no.

“Don’t you want to hear what it is first?” No, he didn’t. She continued, “We want to offer you a position back at the Commission in management. We can give you the best health, pension. Come back and work for us, and we can find a way to sort out your Apocalypse problem.” His Apocalypse problem, because it would affect him and him only because it was nothing more than a mere trifle. 

“After what I did? Why would the Commission want me back?” 

“Because you are our best.” It wasn’t flattery, it was a fact.

He turned around, looking at the frozen scene that surrounded him: Diego already in position to throw his knife, Luther standing in front of the others, Allison standing next to Klaus who had his arm out, guarding Ben and Vanya who both looked surprised. This was perhaps the first time he had a truly good look at any of them. Still, children, just as he had seen them when he tried imagining them as something other than their adult corpses (save for Ben, who remained forever a child, and Vanya, whose body he had never found, so he based her adult-self on the picture that was in the back of her book.)

All of them ready to fight for and defend one another. He couldn’t leave them here, they were children. Children who have been trained as soldiers, who’ve never gotten a real childhood. But children nonetheless. He had to be there for them, which means that he can’t leave, not that he wanted to. 

“The answer is still no.” The Handler’s smile didn’t falter, but she looked...disappointed.

“Oh, Number Five,” she cupped his cheek in her hand once more, “you’re going to regret this.” And she was gone again.

A knife whizzed past his ear and flew through the air were the Handler had stood moments ago.

“What happened? Where is she?” 

He turned around to face the table again, “We have to go, now.” His voice was gruff and harsher than he had intended it to be, but they had to get away from here, somewhere where the Commission wouldn’t find them.

How had they found him here? It took him a second longer than he wanted; the tracker, of course, it was. How did he forget to remove it?

As the six were getting ready to leave and pile back into the car, Five picked up a knife from the table and carried it with him. It would cause too much of a scene in the diner since there were other people (who also regretfully had to witness everything else that had just happened) so he decided to remove it when he got back to the car.

* * *

If they weren’t the Umbrella Academy, and, as such, used to these kinds of things, Allison would be a little more wary of who they were traveling with, but they could handle things if it came to it. They already had a plan made and ready, just in case.

So far, Cinq had seemed okay though. He’d let them get new clothes and bought them breakfast (they left before he could pay actually, but no one minded, at least, not after she got a word in.) He was better than Dad had ever been. 

He was also a killer and had people following him, Luther pointed out to her when he had told her his plan.

They all shuffled back into the back seat of the car (since that mannequin got the front seat) and shifted until they managed something resembling comfort.

Cinq got in the car after they did, and the first thing she noticed was all the red. Did Diego’s knife hit him? Did that lady do something?

“What happened to your arm?” Ben asked before she got the chance.

The entire car went silent as they all turned their attention to Cinq. His sleeve was rolled up and his arm was wrapped with a napkin from the diner, and it was covered in blood.

“I removed the tracker they were using to follow me. They won’t find us now.” That was probably the clearest answer he had given them.

“Who was that?” Luther asked, hoping to use this moment of actually receiving answers for the questions they asked.

It took a little longer for him to answer this time, “Her name is The Handler. She works for the Commission.”

“What did she want?” Luther moved forward, throwing off the balance they had found in the back and Klaus fell into her side.

“To offer me a job.” Silence. When had she done that? 

“Did you take it?” She wasn’t sure Luther would believe him even if he said no. 

“I didn’t.” 

Allison spoke this time, “When did she offer you a job? We didn’t hear anything about that?” She had come in, talked to Cinq about how he was the best and how he shouldn’t watch them, then she left.

Something flashed through Cinq’s eyes, she wasn’t sure what exactly it was though, because it was gone as quick as it came.

“The Handler has the unique ability to freeze time,” everyone started asking questions. Is she like us? How can she do that? What do you mean? What does the Commission do? 

“The Commission makes sure the timeline goes according to plan.” That only lead to even more questions. 

“How?” Seemed to be the most common of them.

“They send agents through time to correct any mistakes that may happen. I was one of those agents.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he meant by “correct.”

“You can time travel?” Vanya’s soft voice carried through all the shouting.

“Using a briefcase, yes,” everyone began to talk again, ”And before you ask, the briefcase has a special device that is able to travel through time.” The answer was simple and easy, it didn’t seem right, but she didn’t know enough about time travel to dispute it. Five would, though.

It went silent again, the unspoken question of “do you know our brother?” hung in the air.


	5. Chapter Five

Vanya has taken her medication every day for as long as she could remember. When she had asked about it, Mom had said that it was for her anxiety. She didn’t recall ever feeling anxious before, but she figured it was just the medicine doing its job. She was certainly feeling anxious now, though that was probably more due to the fact that she didn’t have her medication and breakfast had been interrupted by some lady—The Handler, Cinq had called her—who didn’t seem very friendly, scratch that, she seemed wicked.

Also, the fact that Cinq could time travel.

That was the big one. Of course, he couldn’t time travel himself; it was with a briefcase? But he could time travel nonetheless.

Five could time travel. Supposedly. He still hasn’t come back with the results on it. (Because he would come back, she knew that much, she knew it.)

Five could time travel, Cinq could time travel, and there was a whole secret society of people who could time travel.

They knew each other. They had to. She was sure of it. And the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. It made perfect sense. He understood about Five being missing, he knew her name even though she hadn’t told him, he came and saved them, and he could time travel. It fit perfectly.

Wherever Five was, he had sent Cinq to look after them. He was still looking out for them, even if he couldn’t be here with them. She knew it.

Vanya stared out the window, lost in her own thoughts, watching as buildings and trees and other cars flew by as they drove past. It was a little less crowded now in the back since Cinq had pulled over and made Luther move to the front because he and Diego kept fighting and it was quiet for a little time afterward, though that ended quickly enough.

It was getting increasingly harder to tune out her siblings’ chatter as she was trying to think, and she wanted to tell them to be quiet, to shut up. Of course, she didn’t, though they wouldn’t listen even if she did. They never listened to her. They didn’t care enough to listen to her. They never had.

“Hey, Van?” Sure, sometimes Allison would seek out her company if she was feeling particularly sisterly, but those times were few and far between, always deciding that Vanya was too boring and ordinary for a superstar like her.

“Vanya?” Klaus and Ben (and Five back when he was here; he was the best of them, which probably made him the worst since he left) would have her join in occasionally to play games or pranks or just to talk. But Klaus would disappear for days on end (she used to worry that he’d leave like Five, she still worries) and when he’d return, he'd be scared and reclusive and somber. Ben would stay with Klaus, trying to comfort him. She learned that it was better to just stay away.

“Vanya?” Klaus shook her shoulders and she finally snapped out of her thoughts. “What’s wrong?” He actually sounded concerned.

Klaus reminded her of a caged animal. Sometimes he was vicious, dangerous, snappy, and scared. Other times he was cowardly, drawn in, and fearful. But he cared, which was more than could be said of most of the others.

“I’m fine.” Despite the fire that was raging in her heart right now, her words were soft and sad, just like they always were. Like she always was.

Klaus didn’t look convinced, but he changed the subject, “So, Sink’s pretty weird, huh?” He ignored her attempt to correct his pronunciation, “and I was telling Allison and Diego, but they wouldn’t listen to me. But, hear me out, what if,” he paused for dramatic effect, “what if he was actually Five? He can time travel, so he could be. Just think about it.” A smile crept its way onto her face.

“I don’t think he’s actually Five, but I do think that he knows him.” She listed off her evidence, Klaus mentally taking note of everything she was saying, adding it to his own list. And he, in turn, told her what he knew that led him to his conclusion.

“Hmmm, it seems like there’s only one solution to this, my dearest little sister, we find out what exactly Mister Kitchen Sink can do and what his connection is to Fivey, and whoever is right wins.” He held out his hand to shake on it.

“What would we win?” She hesitantly put her hand in his, shaking it loosely.

He pondered over it for a second, “whoever wins gets to punch Five for leaving us then failing at pretending he’s someone else.”

She couldn’t help the mischievous smirk that made its way onto her face. She wouldn’t mind that.

* * *

Most people assumed that Klaus didn’t notice things, and, well, they weren’t _wrong_ per se, but he could if he wanted to. He just didn’t want to a lot of the time. And who could blame him? If others saw what he saw, they’d want to block it out too.

Right now, though, he was noticing things whether he wanted to or not. Like Vanya had forgotten her medication, he’d forgotten his. It would still take a while for him to be completely sober (he felt sick at the thought), but he was starting to notice things.

Like Sink. Though, you would have to be dead to not notice all the stuff going on with him. Scratch that, even the dead could tell (speaking of which, more and more seemed to be popping up now.) Hell, even the stick all the way up Luther’s ass could tell.

But it was his special job as the designated lookout to notice, because if he was going to be stuck as the stupid watchman, he may as well show them that he could do it.

For example, the first thing he noticed was the fighting. Now, he and Five were never all buddy-buddy like he and Ben are, but he was closer to Five than most, so he had authority on this. Five, even when he wasn’t teleporting all over the place, had a tendency to play a game of keep-away of sorts with whomever he was fighting. Sink did that. When he was going against those two wack jobs the night dad died, he was constantly dodging them. Like Five would’ve.

The second was the way he acted in general. Like he was annoyed with everyone and everything, but underneath was that hint of caring. Five cared way more than probably any of them, but he also cared about not seeming like he cared, but Klaus could tell, he had been on the receiving end of that exasperated-but-heartfelt glare that only Five could give him. That only Five, and now Sink, could give him.

Third was the fact that someone had actually come to help them in the first place. They were the Umbrella Academy, nobody would just come to rescue them. Especially not with the intention of taking them away from Sir Reggie. But Five had mentioned that he wanted to run away with them, to get away from Dad. Of course, Fivey would come back for them.

And all of the obvious stuff like time travel, which would explain why he’s now super old.

So Five and Sink were the same people, it was obvious. And only two people in this entire dysfunctional, sorry excuse for a family could tell.

Vanya’s evidence coupled with his own was more than enough proof for him to be certain that he was right (or that Vanya’s theory might be right, but it made more sense for Five himself to come back instead of sending someone else; hadn’t Five complained enough about how he was the only one who knew how to do anything?)

Whoever won the bet would get to punch Sink, it was the least they deserved for seeing through his bullshit act. It seemed fair.

Also, he literally named himself “Cinq.” Five in French. Five was from France. He named himself Five in French. Was that the best he could do? So, of course, he had to make fun of him for it. He knew enough French to know how to pronounce Cinq, he also knew that the word Cinq looks very much like it should be pronounced “Sink.” And he fully intended to call him after every kitchen utensil he could name before the truth would come out. Or before “Cinq” _sank_ his battleship.

He intended to use that one too. And any other pun, nickname, or mispronunciation he could find.

* * *

Klaus had pulled him into enough of his conspiracy theories for Ben to know exactly what to expect with Cinq’s newest revelation.

Five and Cinq were the same person.

Ben eavesdropped into Klaus and Vanya’s whispered conversation, and, honestly, he wasn’t all too surprised with what he heard. Vanya thought Five had sent one of his time traveling friends to help them, Klaus thought Cinq was Five himself. Both seemed like reasonable options.

He wanted in. He saw the way they shook hands and made a deal; he knew what they were doing, and he knew how he could help.

Even when they were little, they had divided themselves into two groups: One, Two, and Three, and Four, Five, Six, and Seven. And if Four and Seven had designs on Five, then he, naturally, was going to be in on it, one way or another. Klaus would come to him and ask him to join up against Vanya; Vanya would do the same against Klaus. And neither of them would tell the other.

He was going to play both teams. Because, unlike the others, he wasn’t in the habit of choosing favorite siblings (yes, he was.) And nobody would suspect him (unless everyone managed to gain a brain cell; which they wouldn’t.)

Why was he doing this? Easy, because he could. And also because it was pretty funny.


End file.
